Church Messages

              OoloRm
Church  Messages
Published in the Interests of the Kingdom of God.
Vol VI
Fort Lupton, Colo., April, 1915
No. 5
A Ten-Foot Shelf of Books by Denver Methodist
Preachers* Meeting Members
By REV. ROBERT R. ADAMS, M. A.,
Unless one has made definite inquiry,
the pen output of Denver Methodist
preachers is a surprise in its variety,
richness and extent. That output includes Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology, Church History, Essays, Belle Lettres, Short Stories, Poetry, Biography, Economics, Hymns,
Travels, Sermons, Church Music, aye,
and Novels. Preachers who by the nature of their task are supposed to be
narrowed and in vision limited have, so
far as Colorado is concerned, filled full
the dictum, "I am a man and think that
nothing human is alien to me." For all
around 'sweep of interest it would be
hard to equal the variety of subject
which has engaged these toilers in our
Methodist study in their work of authorship. And withal the Kingdom of
Godj has been central.
John Wesley, with his constant reading and mention in his Journals of nearly 500 book titles read in his numerous
journeys and with his 180 volumes of his
own authorship, seems to have left an
indelible impress on the ideal of the
Methodist preachers of our times—
richest culture, ripest scholarship and
fervent spirituality.
It is my purpose to recount the titles
(and I can but do little more in the
allotted   space)    of   the   volumes    that
would make up not merely a five-foot
shelf, but an alcove of books that have
come from the pens of busy pastors
who at one time were members or attendants upon these meetings. It would
not be safe to assume that all the mentioned books were written while such
membership was held here, yet three-
fourths of this product w^as written or
initiated while our friends were Colorado residents, and this output of books
and periodicals is not surprising since
at least one Western book agent, three
Christian Advocate editors and two book
committeemen have been at one time of
our membership.
One of the earliest books that comes
to hand is the volume of John L. Dyer,
familiarly known as Father Dyer. He is
the one Protestant minister of Colorado
who is enshrined in stained glass in the
dome of the Colorado State Capitol
building. He was a layer of foundations
and his volume "The Snow Shoe Itinerant," is worthy of re-reading.
Isaac H. Beardsley, Colorado and Denver pastor, up to the present has given
us the only completed History of Colorado Methodism, and his volume of 600
pages, so beautifully printed and illustrated, as to be a work of art. It is a
pity that the title "Echo From Peaks
and Plain" obscures the value of his
work. It should be only a sub-title to
a comprehensive title like "History of
Colorado Methodism." While pastor at
Loveland he also wrote "The True Sabbath," a work of research with results
now   discounted,   but   a   book   of   value